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CotUS Session 1
Category:CotUS Session Details =Thoughts= This was the first session, and boy was it a doozy. Because only three players showed at first, I didn't want to skip straight to the Mountain of Fate, so I improvised an opening adventure, inspired in some small part by the fact that I had watched Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl on DVD immediately prior to the game. Everyone performed, in my opinion, magnificently here, despite us getting off to a somewhat rocky start, what with the usual "reluctance to show your true nature" bit. That was readily solved, and soon the Circle was off on their way to adventure! Experience Totals If you're in a hurry, this is what you no doubt want. *Valorous Firebrand: 14 *Deep Tide: 15 *Shadowmoon: 14 *Nightstar: 14 *Sparkling Diamond Rose: 14 **Gideon Fifthson could not play because his character sheet was unfinished, and Grey Wolf could not play because his player did not arrive at any time. Scene 1 *Setting: Wilderness crossroads in Hedgerow Country between Marita and Great Forks. (Mountain is to the Northwest of you, Yellow River is North.) Five travellers meet on the road heading west. Although Deep Tide and Sparkling Diamond Rose introduce themselves, Shadowmoon elects not to, earning the nickname "Nameless One," and Nightstar elects not to introduce herself or Ebony, her giant riding panther, earning herself the nickname "Nameless Two." Nameless Two says next to nothing during this encounter, and as the group attempts to decide if it was fate which brought them together or not, or whether they should travel together or not, they hear the sound of thundering hooves approaching from the road Nameless Two arrived by way of. Soon this resolves into a boy, openly wearing golden lammelar armor underneath a heavy cloak which flaps in the breeze, standing upright on a wild horse with a rope looped around it's neck clenched in both hands, attempting to break the wild stallion and failing amusingly. The Horse takes sight of the giant panther, and naturally panics, planting it's hooves and rearing as it reaches almost within swiping distance, launching the youth directly towards the somewhat-exposed busom of the panther's rider. Perhaps fortunately, (though perhaps unfortunately from the boy's point of view,) the panther elegantly sidesteps and the boy smoothly somersaults to a more or less graceful, splayed-out sitting position on the ground. Valorour Firebrand introduces himself, and though he does not openly state he is one of the Chosen, he strongly hints at it. As the group talks amongst themselves, still wary, the panther takes off in chase of the horse, for chasing horses and dogs is what giant panthers do. In the panther's absence, unusual birdsong above draws the group's attention skyward, where they see a flock of migratory birds calling and flying - flying backwards - and traveling to the south. "Calibration" is the shrugged explaination for the strange events, and the group spies an additional bird, a broad-winged hawk, of whom the eagle-eyed Nameless Two reveals that she can see colorful beads tied in the bird's tailfeathers. Then she departs to chase her giant cat. The hawk lets out a great cry, and the group decides that this, too, is an omen, and follow it west. Scene 2 *Setting: Wilderness road in Hedgerow Country, with a clearing to the side of the road containing a Gazebo. Following a joke suggested by Gideon Fifthson's player, the group find an unusual sight on the side of the road; a white-painted Gazebo, all alone in the wilderness, of the sort a traveller might appreciate for midday shade. This Gazebo has clearly come under attack in recent time, having several arrows stuck in it, and with someone having taken an axe and attempting to chop it down. They failed, the axe lodged fast in the Gazebo's timbers, and it seems clear the Gazebo has won the day, having forced it's assailant to quit the field of battle, despite being a seemingly utterly inanimate object. The group ponder the meaning of this, dwadling next to the Gazebo and enjoying it's shade in the early morning sun as they continue to talk about one another and behave evasively about their true natures. Their hand, or rather, their foreheads are forced when a Solar Eclipse begins to occur. When the sun is but a halo of gold surrounding a disk of black, Sparkling Diamond Rose's Caste Mark bursts into full blossom, erupting from her forehead as her anima banner becomes Iconic, a rain of shining golden rose petals filling the glade. With one of their number exposed as one of the Chosen of the Sun, the rest of the Circle quickly follows suit, and they introduce themselves again - including Nameless One, now known by her name of Shadowmoon. Emboldened by their newfound kinship, the group, minus Nameless One who has yet to return, continue along the road West. Scene 2.5 *Setting: Hedgerow Country, Between Marita and Great Forks. Nameless One has not been idle; she was forced to chase down her cat, who chased down the wild stallion which Valorous Firebrand arrived upon. She finds them both in the trees at the side of the road, the horse having climbed the trees to escape the great cat, and the mammoth-sized Haltan Tree Panther having climbed straight up after him. However, when the Eclipse is in full swing, the horse's hooves burst into golden flames, and he takes off galloping through the air, a feat which even the magnificant panther is unable to match. Her would-be prey having escaped her clutches, the panther returned to her master, who turned west at a quick clip. She came across the Gazebo the others had stopped at, likewise ruminating about it's nature and wondering who was responsible for attacking it. Pressing on, she soon caught up with the rest of the Circle. Scene 3 *Setting: Open Country between Marita and Great Forks, with Hedgerow Country laying back to the East and a settlement on the distance in the West. The Circle continue their talk, ruminating on the nature of what travels await them, what great tasks they should attempt; several possibilities are floated, amongst which are the overthrow of the Realm, traveling to Lookshy to lead it's armies, acquiring a Tall Ship and plundering their way up and down the Inland Main, setting their sights on the Green Sun and Liger's Infernal Armies, taking their battles to the Wyld Places and expanding Creation, as the Solar Exalted of the First Realm did, or even venturing into the depths of the Underworld to stick a plethora of pointy golden objects up ye olde undead arse. Valorous Firebrand, of course, suggested they do all of the above and more, but was brought back to Creation by being reminded that there were not enough of them to do all simultainously, so they would have to choose their order of battles. Along the way, the group is caught up to by Nameless Two and her panther - upon sighting them on the road ahead, they broke into full charge, quickly covering the distance, as riders are wont to do against footmen. They confront her and ask her, point-blank, if she is one of the Solar Exalted, and she responds by igniting her Caste Mark, proving that she is of the Night Caste of the Solar Exalted. She introduces herself as Nightstar, and her panther as Ebony. With a Full Circle, which the Zenith quickly proclaims to be a lucky omen indeed, the group set out to seek shelter before night falls and strands them in the wilderness during Calibration, which even a full circle of the Sun's Chosen would no doubt find a harrowing experience. They approach the town, which they find to be unusually well-fortified, with a plethora of guard towers and two rows of wooden palisade walls. However, there are far fewer guards in attendance than would seem nessessary, with most of the towers unmanned. Furthermore, everyone they see in town seems sullen and dejected - no-one contests their entrance, not even with Nightstar riding into town astride Ebony. The group comment upon this as they walk, and Nightstar makes special mention of them not taking notice of a woman riding a gigantic panther. This becomes somewhat clarified when they see a man using a dog as large as Ebony as a beast of burden - the huge dog has bright, vibrant purple fur, and antennae instead of ears. After he commented upon it, the owner tells Valorous Firebrand that his dog (name of Buggy) is for sale if he wants her. She is nine years old and has worked hard all of her life, and he wishes to replace her with another beast before working her into the grave. She is also said to be completely deaf, this attributed to her obviously lacking ears. Valorous Firebrand expresses a desire to purchase Buggy, but the whole group is mostly or entirely destitute save for their artifacts and fine apparel (those who have fine apparel,) lacking the funds to purchase Buggy. They resolve to return when they have the money, or have somehow come into ownership of a suitable replacement beast. Then they follow the man's advice to go to a tavern known as the Watering 'Ole, where he says newcomers should go, and tells them that the Storyteller has returned this year. They follow his advice. Scene 4 *Setting: Interior of the Watering 'Ole Tavern, in the unnamed Cursed Trade Village. The group finds the tavern has been converted into a makeshift theater, with all the chairs facing the area around the unlit hearth, where a middle-aged man with beads in his hair and carrying a white walking stick is engrossed in the tale of a young boy who ran away from his home to chase dreams of glory in the wake of a storyteller who visited his hometown, and had arrived in a combat arena. Nightstar notices that his beads are the same beads as were in the tailfeathers of the hawk they had seen hours ago, but Valorous Firebrand instantly recognizes his mentor, Talespinner, and runs up to him, laughing at him not to leave out the good bits of his own story. (Firebrand's.) That, however, is exactly what happens, as the mentor chastizes the boy for not having waved when he yelled hello, although Firebrand points out that he does not speak Hawk. Firebrand quickly introduces the group to his mentor, who takes a shine to them, instantly recognizing them for what they are (Measure the Wind, natch ;) ); he bows to Deep Tide, and kisses each of the ladies' hands, including Ebony's paw. Talespinner then bids the circle to sit down, joining the assembled people for a tale - a new one, he decides, since it would be Firebrand's place to tell his own tale to his companions. This time, he tells the tale of a village on a trade hub, where many travel routes pass, which attracts odd characters. One of these, he says, was no mere mortal, but he got along well with his neighbors, who saw no reason to bother him. One year, a passing Immaculate Monk, believing him to be Anathema, attacked the man, who killed the Monk for doing so. However, the man did not flee his home, and word eventually reached the Isle. A Wyld Hunt was assembled, Immaculate Masters and mortal warriors following them. They arrived and laid siege to the town, demanding that the Anathema monk-murderer be handed over. The town refused, as they were very, very far from the Realm, and reasonably well defended - they said the Realm had no business here, and to leave. The Monnks attacked the town, murdering and destroying, until they recieved the location where the supposed Anathema was hiding. He then appeared, and raised the dead to fight for him, attacking the monks, but did not prevail, and he was captured and put to death by being burnt at the stake in the center of the town. As flames engulfed him, enraged, the man vowed a curse of vengeance upon everyone - the faithless who betrayed him, and the murderous who destroyed him. Every first and last day of a month since that day, the dead, Talespinner said, would rise and attack the town in scattered groups. But on Calibration, the worst happened - During the Five Days' Darkness, the udnead would rise in large numbers, marauding through the town, with the burnt man himself returning to lead them, looting, pillaging and plundering, despoiling and slaying any they could lay their hands upon. And worse, was the curse of the town so great, that any townsmen who were present on the day of that dark deed would be pulled through the netherworlds if they had abandoned the town, ripped back to face their fate. So consumed by hatred was this curse, even, that anyone else who had set foot within the town during any day of Calibration would likewise suffer this fate, being forced to return or be returned, to face the dead. Naturally, as it was Calibration 1, this is when the circle realized they had problems, as it was plain to them that Talespinner was describing the very town they were listening to the tale in. But, Talespinner said, the story, though sad, had a happy ending, for one year, five travelers entered the town during Calibation 1. The glowing golden warriors of the Sun defeated the Burnt Man five nights consecutively during the Five Days' Darkness, and the curse was broken. By this point, naturally, it was plainly obvious to the Circle that Talespinner was subtly instructing them to break the curse. The townsmen loved his story, applausing and cheering, and for once seeming not to be despaired. Sparkling Diamond Rose quickly took the stage in Talespinner's wake, weaving a potent charm upon the assembled in the wake up Talespinner's uplifting tale, singing an old song about how righteous, brave men and women who fight for the righteous cause may bring low fearsome monsters. Invoking Heart-Compelling Method, Rose wove a powerful enough, heart-tugging enough performance to move even Talespinner and the rest of her Circle to hope, and the Townsmen became immediately full of the emotion, and after they showered Rose with coins and flowers, surged out to embolden their settlement and make preperations for the night. Talespinner plucked a bead from his own hair, and braided a long, thin lock of Rose's magnificent red hair, affixing the bead to the end of the braid which hands over the side of her face. The circle having raised enough money to purchase Buggy from her owner, Valorous Firebrand went out forthwith to claim the magnificent dog, as the rest of his circle set about questioning Talespinner about the Burnt Man and how to combat him.